Why Joining a Club is an Essential Part of the High School Experience: The Science of Clubs

From a young age, I always remember being drawn to clubs. There was something about working in a team towards a goal that held a special place in my heart. I spent all my lunches in meetings and enjoyed it, as it kept me going. Keeping busy made me feel appreciated and accomplished as I knew that I would be part of a bigger project, collaborating with others to better the school community. My years of experience in clubs have taught me many important lessons and led me to the conclusion that joining a club is truly an essential part of the high school experience.

If I account for all my friends and acquaintances, the calculations will total to me having met at least 40% of them through clubs. Clubs tend to be the hotspot for long-lasting friendships in high school, as they allow you to meet diverse groups of people with different talents, skill sets, and aspirations. It is much easier to start a peer relationship in a club due to the likelihood of having similarities with at least one other person within the said club; I mean, being in a club together must be an indicator of similarity. This is one of many reasons why extracurriculars are an optimal space for friendships, as people can join together over a common interest or activity. Joining even one club can help you gain both beneficial peer connections and skills necessary for everyday life. There has recently been a linkage found in how having friends in a club can lead to positive outcomes in adolescence. Research shows that there is a correlation between joining school clubs, friendships, and academics. The chart below shows the linkage found in a 2016 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

In addition, the new opportunities outside of friendships that can be achieved through clubs consist of new content for resumes and connections both in and out of the school environment. Aside from relationships with students, getting the opportunity to create a bond with teachers and administrators can become very useful throughout your high school experience. We’ve all heard the words “it's not what you know, it's who you know,” and gaining more connections can take you further in your professional and personal life.

In a National Center for Biotechnology Information study performed in 2016, a direct positive correlation was found between the number of extracurriculars for a given individual and their academic success rate; clubs can predict academic outcomes and engagement. In these findings, as students participated in more clubs, their academic performance increased consistently (up until the number of clubs they joined was equal to four).

Joining even just one club is sure to help you expand your skill set. Some may be centred around shared interests, while others create and develop skills meant to help with everyday life. An example of one of these prime skills is time management. Learning how to properly manage your time while in a club and working on studies can be challenging, but it provides you with excellent experiences for your future. Another example of a crucial skill is critical thinking. Activities within clubs often involve solving problems; this can activate your critical thinking skills. Working with a team can bring about its own challenges, but developing the skills necessary to work through them is essential. These can include negotiating, amiability, listening, and the ability to effectively communicate your ideas. The most prominent skill I have witnessed being displayed through clubs (in myself and others) is leadership. Finding the courage to step forward and contribute your time, creativity, and mind shows how much of a leader you can be. At times in clubs, you may need to manage a team, make tough decisions, and handle the responsibility that comes with the club.

From a mental health perspective, students in clubs are shown to have overall better mental health. For example, the Canadian teens that participate in a minimum of one club report having a better emotional state (i.e., they have a sense of belonging, new opportunities to engage in socially, and feel appreciated within their social group), as found in a study in 2016 (Denault and Poulin 2016). The opportunities provided within extracurricular environments to create friendships are tremendous. Many young people lack a sense of connectivity to their peers, especially regarding the climate formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A club is considered a great social system as it enables you to engage with a large group of people, all in the same place for the same reason. Due to having some sense of a social group, the individuals who experience support from others often receive large oxytocin (the “calming” hormone) boosts, which decrease their anxiety levels. When working in a club, the main goal is usually helping others and completing altruistic acts. Giving selflessly can affect your stress level and encourage positive feelings within an individual. Altruism (the belief and practice of selflessness) helps give a new, positive perspective on good deeds, leading to better physical and mental health. The generous art of altruism is embodied by clubs, including the planning of initiatives for the school community and those belonging to it.

In conclusion, clubs provide you with the opportunity to take part in many key components of the high school experience, which you wouldn’t want to miss. Clubs are linked with positive physical and mental health, and they encourage socialization in everyday life. The friendships created through clubs tend to be long-lasting and aid in networking skills. Clubs are also associated with promoting higher grades and teach you many important lifelong skills. Whether it’s putting together an assembly or arranging a charity event, every club I’ve joined has taught me something useful that can guide me through future tribulations. I’m so thankful for all the opportunities I continue to receive through clubs and would encourage everyone to join at least one in their time at high school.

Article by: Anastasia Dimas

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